Sanitary inspectors, popularly known as "Sama sama" or "Tangase" would begin operation throughout the country today, June 4, 2007 to ensure that the environment was kept clean to promote good health. Stephen Asamoah-Boateng, Minister of Local Government, Rural Development and Environment (MLGRDE) announced this in various District Assemblies of the Northern Region during his five-day duty tour to the region. The Districts where he made the announcement included the Tolon/Kumbungu, West Mamprusi, Bunkpurugu/Yunyoo, Gushiegu, Karaga, Nanumba North and Nanumba South Districts. Mr. Asamoah-Boateng said, "I have already directed all DCEs throughout the country on how to go about the programme to ensure that it succeeded so that our environments are kept clean to prevent the people from contracting preventable sicknesses." He said his Ministry had also discussed the programme with the judiciary, which had given the full backing to ensure that people who flout the environmental laws would be prosecuted. The Minister was in the region to interact with staff and Members of the District Assemblies and visited ten out of the 13 districts in the region, which included the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly, Savelugu/Nanton, West Gonja, Tolon/Kumbungu and East Mamprusi Districts. The rest are Gushiegu, Karaga, Bunkpurugu/Yunyoo, Nanumba North and Nanumba South Districts where Mr. Asamoah-Boateng gave promises to District Assembly Members in equipping them with motorcycles on loan basis to facilitate their work. Mr. Asamoah-Boateng also used the opportunity to visit some chiefs and elders of communities and explained the government's development agenda and appealed to them to lend their support to the government to enable good governance to prevail. He gave the assurance that the government would work tirelessly to rehabilitate roads in all district capitals of the Northern region to facilitate the movement of people and goods to the regional capital and would dialogue with operators of Areeba network to invest in the rural areas to make communication accessible to them. He also took some time off to address party executives as means of solving inter-party wrangling in some districts to ensure that the party remained formidable to enable it retain power in 2008. Some Assembly Members in the Assemblies where he promised to equip them with motorcycles advised him not to deceive them since some politicians in the body politic had failed to fulfill their promises. Some of the Assembly members appealed to the Minister to ensure that they had a permanent budgetary allocations to improve their living conditions and motivate them to put up their best. Source: GNA